Named a 'spectacular' musician by Classical Guitar, Mateusz Kowalski is one of the young generation's best guitar players. His performs his wide repertoire extending from Renaissance to contemporary music with exceptional expertise, stylistic sensitivity, and great musicality.
Born in 1995 in Koszalin, Poland, he began learning the guitar at the age of seven. He spent the next 12 years studying the instrument with Dariusz Schmidt at the local music school in Koszalin, following which he trained at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw under Ryszard Bałauszko and graduated with a Magna cum Laude medal. He participated in numerous master classes led by the likes of Sérgio Assad, Oscar Ghiglia, and Alvaro Pierri.
As a concert musician, Mr Kowalski has performed at such prestigious venues as the Musikverein in Vienna or Shanghai Grand Theatre. He could also be heard in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Budapest, and London. In 2019 he played the popular Concierto de Aranjuez with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw. He won the prestigious guitar competition in Antony, France and the EuroStrings International Guitar Competition in London (2019).
In 2019 he released his debut album (CD Accord) featuring music by Bach, Giuliani, Tárrega, Barrios, Piazzolla, Ponce, Assad, and Schubert, while in 2020 the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw unveiled his Polish Romantic Guitar, containing pieces by 19th-century Polish guitar virtuosos and composers.
In parallel to his stage career, the young musician works as an educator. He gave master classes at the festivals in Szeged, Hungary; Rust, Austria; and Qingdao, China. Since October 2019 he gas been teaching at his alma mater in Warsaw.
Mateusz Kowalski is a recipient of scholarships awarded by the head of the provincial executive of the Zachodniopomorskie Province, the mayor of Koszalin, and the Polish minister of culture.
He plays instruments built by such famous guitar makers as Masaki Sakurai, Karl-Heinz Roemmich, and Hanson Yao.
(photo: private archive)
